The Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge
- 2010 – 2011

Collaborators

Background

An alliance of major public and private employers in Minnesota engaged i.e. network to develop and produce a gaming platform initially for employee engagement in improved health and wellness initiatives.

Goals

The Alliance wanted to create broad awareness and participation through a series of gaming touch-points via media, employer, church and community groups throughout the state of Minnesota.

Process

Working with the alliance member-brands and developing a partnership with the Biggest Loser television program (at the time, the highest-rated program on NBC), i.e. network devised a gaming platform pitting corporation against corporation in a five-month ‘challenge’ focused on weight loss, time spent exercising and nutrition.

The program was advanced for a second iteration in 2011 taking the challenge to the community at-large and recruiting smaller companies, churches, families and Chambers of Commerce throughout the state.

Results

Nearly 36,000 competitors in thousands of teams across the state enrolled in the platform. The two iterations created spirited and friendly sub-competitions between towns, corporations, within family groups and even pitted the Minnesota state Senate against the House.

Collectively, the group lost more than 113,000 pounds, logged more than 658,000 hours of exercise and tens of millions of nutrition points in competition.

Also of importance, the winners had more than 60 tons of food donated in their names to Second Harvest Heartland Food Shelves.

Lessons Learned

Strategic Media Production can create a massive force when corporations work together in a non-competitive space for public good.

Leveraging consumer interests around competition, gaming and community good can spur motivation.

Putting the consumer first in media production and communication drives big results for consumers and brands. The national broadcast program (“Biggest Loser”) was moved enough by the results of the game in Minnesota that they featured the work we were doing here on their television show – twice.